


At War With The World

by Kima



Category: Marvel Avengers Movies Universe, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: F/M, Family, Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-11
Updated: 2012-07-11
Packaged: 2017-11-09 15:16:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/456938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kima/pseuds/Kima
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Every Avenger has their own story, their own demons to fight. But together, they are strong.<br/>A one-shot series.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Natasha: Scars

Natasha remembers.

Of course she does, her memory is remarkable like that, and she couldn't forget even if she tried to because the mementos are right there on her body whenever she looks into the mirror.

The long gash on her right thigh – Volgograd, fifteen stitches, three dead. Her first mission.

The tiny but still very ugly burn on her left calf – Kiev, bed-bound for a month, fourteen dead and two crippled.

The four miniature scars right over her left breast – Moscow, a stray bullet, one dead.

The three claw-like scars on her abdomen – Moscow again, eleven stitches each, seven dead, four crippled, one burned beyond recognition and she has never taken a step into a zoo again.

The long scar on her skull, hidden under red curls – Sarajevo, seventeen stitches, thirteen dead.

The scar tissue on the right side of her ribs and the tiny scar between her eye brows – Budapest, too much time in the infirmary, lost count of the dead around seventy-two and Clint. Actually, she remembers Clint the most when it comes to Budapest. She remembers heat and fear and blood – so much blood and most of it is her own which is a first – and Clint hovering over her and his voice, telling her to lie the hell down and let him handle this.

The other scars on her body are faint white lines, their origins long since forgotten, and things have been kind of a blur after Budapest because she can't remember every mission from then on like she has before. Maybe because SHIELD has the technology to heal broken bones and open wounds more efficiently than anyone else, maybe because she has never been in that much danger ever again. She doesn't know and she doesn't really care. The missions that mattered are etched into her body and will be there until the day she dies.

Natasha remembers all of them all too well.

But sometimes, when she watches Thor beat Steve in a very heated ping-pong tournament in the Avengers' mansion, for example, or when Stark and Bruce present new and better arrows for Clint who just hugs both of them in return causing them both to turn beet-red and awkward, she forgets. She forgets and she smiles and on these nights, she doesn't dream about fire and tigers and stray bullets and blood.


	2. Clint: Frost

He's cold.

He constantly is and he doesn't really like it. In fact, he hates it. Even in the midst of a heated battle, he is so very cold and he feels like he is losing his mind all over again. Maybe he has never regained it in the first place, not after Loki poked him with that scepter or whatever the hell it was, and he is now doomed to freeze to death from the inside or something. Clint shudders from the thought and pulls the blankets up to his chin.

He is lying in his bed in the Avengers mansion, trying to shut off his brain, fighting off the cold in his mind. Is that even possible? He doesn't know but it certainly feels like it.

The others have no idea. At least he thinks they don't because nobody has said anything since he's back from Loki's Legion of Doom but then again, maybe they're just being nice. Clint has to fight back a smile – no, Tony Stark is incapable of being nice. They probably really don't know and it's okay that way. Or is it?

He's lying in his bed and he's _freezing_ and even with all the blankets he's got, he still feels like he's on the freakin' North Pole, naked. Clint groans and buries his head in the pillows (he's got three because Natasha likes pillows in bed and he likes Natasha, so that's settled). He wants to sleep. He really wants to and he's not Bruce or Tony who can go without sleep for what feels like weeks and he's not Steve, either, who claims to have slept enough in the last seventy years. Clint needs to sleep because he has missed at least three targets on practice today and the only reason Natasha hasn't called him out on it yet is because she's away to Washington with Tony, still pretending to be his assistant. He can't keep doing this, lying awake at night and staring up at the ceiling because he can feel the ice and the frost creeping inside his heart and his mind, he can't keep doing this because the Avengers depend on him and his marksmanship. What kind of a master archer is he if he keeps missing his targets because he lacks sleep?

Clint groans again and screws his eyes shut and shivers under four blankets. He feels like he's eight years old again, alone and miserable and sick and so very weak and why won't his brain just shut up and let him sleep? He has no idea what time it is and in the dark of the night, the freezing blue he can still see seeping from his body is even more terrifying. And cold, so very, very cold.

Maybe it's because he's tired – maybe it's because she's been trained to be silent and efficient in what she does, but Clint doesn't hear her steps on the floor and doesn't notice her presence until he can feel the mattress move. He starts, his hand already on the knife he keeps hidden in the bed sheets, when he hears her say his name.

"Clint." He relaxes instantly. She crawls under one of his blankets, rests her head on two of the three pillows, her beautiful red hair sprawled around her head, and looks at him.

"Back already?" he asks and she flashes him half a smile.

"You know Stark – he insulted everyone at least twice and after that, they were only too happy to let us go." Clint grins. She studies his face for a moment before looking at his blankets and asks,

"Cold again?" So she has noticed, then.

"Hm." His grunt is enough of an answer for her. She shuffles closer, hugging him, and presses a quick kiss to his forehead.

It's almost like Budapest, only this time she holds him while he's desperately trying to fall asleep. A last, shocking wave of cold washes over him and his whole body shivers violently – and then it's over. He can feel the warmth of her almost naked body pressed against his and suddenly, he isn't cold anymore.

With a sigh, Clint closes his eyes, her lips still touching his forehead, and drifts away.


	3. Steve: Help

Steve wonders.

Since he woke up in the future – and it really is, he's not dreaming this, he's been asleep for 70 years and everyone he knew is gone – he's always wondering. He wonders what happened while he was trapped in the ice, frozen and preserved like a piece of meat, wonders what has changed and how and why and he doesn't understand any of it. He's always thought he was pretty smart but after waking up, every child seems to grasp basic concepts faster than he does.

He has tried asking Tony – and boy, did that go wrong, you don't ask Tony Stark about technology if you don't want to be called at least six different names and feel even more stupid than you did before – and also Bruce – who has been very nice and understanding but Steve still doesn't get how a cell phone works – but none of it really helped. Steve wonders if he's simply gotten stupid in the past 70 years and what does he know, maybe being trapped in an iceberg does that to your brain and it's not actually his fault he is so extremely dumb now, or if mankind has gotten smarter since the 1940s.

Maybe it has, maybe he's not stupid after all.

But then, he watches Thor and Tony have a glorious drinking contest (which Thor wins, feeling not even the slightest bit drunk, and Bruce and Clint catch all of it on video while Natasha laughs so hard that she almost hits her head on the shelf behind her) and decides that no, mankind is just the same it has been back in the present day. Past. Whatever.

Steve sighs and flops into one of the big arm chairs in the living room. It's 4 AM and even Tony is asleep and Steve has been wandering around the mansion for the last hour, trying to find something to occupy himself with. Normally, he goes boxing when he's the only one awake in the middle of the night but all of his punching bags are in no state to train with right now and he hasn't got new ones yet. Maybe he'll ask Tony tomorrow when they're due and if there's something else he can do in the meantime because the gym is actually the only soundproof room they've got and he can't really train in there right now, can he?

That's why he's sulking in the living room, staring at the dark flat screen TV on the wall and occasionally glaring at the remote he still hasn't figured out how to use. He knows Tony has set aside an entire list of movies and documentaries for him to catch up on history and culture but the last time he has tried to figure out something on his own, he broke the coffee machine and he doesn't really want to relive that experience, thank you very much. Steve leans back and sighs again. Maybe he should try to sleep – but no, the serum did something to his body and he's feeling well-rested and fine even though he's had only about three or four hours of sleep tonight and he knows he'd only toss and turn around in his bed until the sun rises.

Slowly but surely, he's getting frustrated.

He smirks as he imagines what the others would say. Captain America, Living Legend, Hero of the People, frustrated? Impossible!

Except it is possible and he's bored and restless and _frustrated_. He wonders if maybe, he can go outside and jog for a bit, do a few laps, anything to not just sit here and sulk, when suddenly, a gentle voice asks,

"Can I help you with anything, Master Steve?" The first time it happened, Steve had decided he'd lost his mind alright and was hearing voices but now, he's almost gotten used to Jarvis. The AI is very polite (which makes him wonder how Tony has even managed to program it because everyone knows Stark couldn't be polite if his life depended on it) and nice (which Tony also rarely is) and Steve actually likes it.

"I don't think so," Steve sighs. He stands up and decides that yes, going for a jog would be nice, when it hits him.

"Actually," he says and smiles a bit. "There is one thing. Do you mind helping me with the TV?"

"Of course not, sir," the AI answers and Steve's smile widens. Maybe the future is not so bad, after all.


	4. Tony: Family

Tony is angry.

Well, maybe he's not as angry as he is _annoyed_ and you don't really want to mess with an annoyed Tony Stark. He's sitting cross-legged on the counter of the kitchen in the Avengers Tower and stares down at the broken coffee machine in his lap. How on earth the All-American Hero has managed to break it is beyond him – you pour some water and push a few buttons, that's really all there is. But no, Captain Stars  & Stripes has to go and destroy the one thing Tony desperately _needs_ in his life because he's an insomniac and doesn't function unless he's drunk at least one pot of coffee.

It's not like it's hard to repair the stupid coffee machine, hell, Tony has built the first suit out of _trash_ but this is a matter of principle. You do not break Tony Stark's coffee machine. You just don't.

And it's not just the coffee machine, they've finished the tower not two weeks ago and Bruce has already managed to Hulk out and smash a wall and a ceiling. Tony groans quietly; as much as rescuing the world is fun and nice and all that jazz, he's living with a bunch of crazy people whose sleep schedules are just as fucked up as his is and all of them are deadly and mad in their own way.

Natasha (who's creepy enough on her own, he knows, he's seen her) and Clint (seriously, is that guy on steroids? He's so beefy and for all Tony knows, there wasn't any serum involved here) seem to have some weird staring contest going on where they just stare at each other without blinking for hours whenever they see each other and does he even want to know what they're doing? Then there's Thor who comes and goes as he pleases (except when there's work to do and who is he even kidding, they're the Avengers, there's always work to do) and can't measure his own strength and also has some strange habit of throwing stuff on the floor, demanding to get "Another!" (wherever this 'Asgard' place is, they clearly never heard of a damage suit, Tony is very attached to his movie collection). And Bruce, while he's a really nice guy and Tony actually likes him (which says something because generally, Tony doesn't like people and people don't like him), really does have anger issues and if he continues to Hulk out every time he has a bad dream, the Avengers Tower won't stand for much longer. Now, Tony has made a full circle back to Mr. I-break-innocent-coffee-machines who occupies the gym almost 24/7 and has destroyed more punching bags than Tony cares to count.

It's a fact, he's living in a mad house and he's annoyed and clearly, he's the only sane person in here. Well. Saner. Maybe. Just a little. No? Alright, Tony is probably just as mad as everyone else and maybe they should just paint the tower in all the colors of the rainbow and re-name their merry little group of madmen to "Wonderland Crew" or something.

Maybe, Tony really is angry and annoyed at them for forcing him to live in one place with them and repairing their stuff and constantly doing damage control in the tower but maybe (and as much as he hates to admit it because it is far more likely) he's actually annoyed with himself – for loving all of it secretly.

That's why he puts the stupid broken coffee machine aside (what the hell, he's Tony Stark, he'll just buy a new one) and wanders to the living room where the rest of the group is gathered and watching TV. Steve silently offers him popcorn when Tony flops onto the sofa next to him and Bruce goes off to explain they're watching _The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn_ because apparently, that's Cap's favorite book until Natasha shushes him and they all have to wrestle Thor for the remote because he gets bored easily and wants to watch an action movie.


	5. Bruce: Apologies

He struggles.

He struggles for control, for peace, for calm, and fails miserably nine out of ten times. When it comes to the Hulk, actions really do speak louder than words because Bruce isn't exactly eloquent in this state – and he can't even begin to apologize for everything he's destroyed so far.

Three walls and a ceiling, six of Steve's punching bags, Clint's bed, Thor's wardrobe, a part of Natasha's extensive weapons collection, one of Tony's precious cars and what feels like about 60% percent of New York, part of the helicarrier and at least one military aircraft. Then there's the factory in Brazil and the campus of Culver University, the lab, Betty's heart and…

He's lost count because usually, the Hulk just goes and does what he does best: smash. And then there's destruction and chaos and Bruce is left to deal with the consequences which mostly consist of running away from everything and getting yet another new pair of pants.

Except he's part of the Avengers now and running away is not an option anymore. Bruce can't hide from the others, he knows, all of them are so very special in their own way, and he may be an expert on gamma radiation but that's about it – while everyone else got in on the team because of their abilities and talents, Bruce is here because of his personal inner demon. He can't hide from the others and has to face the consequences his very own Mr. Hyde has created and that's why he's going from door to door to apologize to his teammates right now.

"Don't worry about it," Steve says. "I've got more."

"It's okay," Clint grins. "It's just a bed."

"Do not concern yourself," Thor booms. "I will find myself another storage of garments."

"Well," Natasha sighs. "At least I have room for more now."

"Nah, don't mention it," Tony shrugs. "I never liked that Lamborghini anyway."

"We were prepared for this," Fury assures. "S.H.I.E.L.D. will take care of it, Dr. Banner."

Bruce struggles to keep a straight face because he doesn't believe them. He doesn't believe their kind words and doesn't believe in their forgiveness but he grasps it as if it's a lifeline – and maybe, it is. Maybe their forgiveness is his lifeline and this time, Dr. Jekyll won't lose to Mr. Hyde.


	6. Thor: Pieces

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I shamelessly used "Game of Thrones" as an actual game title.

Thor is confused.

It's not so much Midgard that confuses him (well, it does but he's getting used to it) but how everything has changed. Not so long ago, he had been living in Asgard with his friends and his family – the Warriors Three, the Lady Sif and his parents… and also his brother, Loki. The times hadn't been exactly peaceful, of course; Asgard had to be protected from Frost Giants and other evil creatures and up until recently, Thor had been glad to fight them for glory and honor and victory. But then he had made a mistake and everything seems to have gone down from there.

There is a game in Asgard called the Game of Thrones – it's a game consisting of several tokens and dice and it's rather lengthy and complicated. Thor has never been too fond of it for it included too much strategy and far too little action for his taste but Loki had always been a master player. While Thor had struggled to keep his gaming pieces together, Loki had won one round after another. Somehow, this had always irked Thor somehow; he had been used to always winning, always getting the spotlight, always been the better son to Odin. Until Jotunheim, that is.

After Jotunheim, everything that's happened reminds him of another lost round of the Game of Thrones – first, he'd lost his home, then his brother. Thor cannot stop these things from happening, he is yet another piece in someone else's game and he is lost and confused as to what he should do. What he can do because he might be considered a god but he's certainly not almighty.

The Avengers – he likes that name, it reminds him of past battles and lost glory – are gathered in the kitchen for breakfast and Thor stares down into his bowl of milk and colored wheat rings (Clint has explained that they are called cereals) while the others share their usual morning banter.

"Gentlemen, Miss Romanoff," the foreign, disembodied voice of the so-called artificial intelligence that lives in the Avengers tower suddenly says. "Director Nick Fury on line 3 for you. It seems to be urgent." Tony groans into his steaming cup of the black beverage he is so fond of (coffee, he reminds himself, it is called coffee) and Steve sighs while Bruce rubs his glasses clean.

"Yeah, whatever," Tony replies. "Put him through."

It is another mission for the Avengers and Thor almost hopes it's his brother again because he misses him dearly even after everything Loki has done. They have always been together and it pains him greatly that Loki has strayed so far from the righteous path… Throughout Thor's life, Loki has been by his side, his best friend, his strongest companion. The center piece of the game that is his life. And now he's lost and Thor is slowly losing hope to ever get him back – and it's almost impossible to win a Game of Thrones without a center piece.

But it isn't Loki they are up against this time and while the Avengers battle another mad villain – Clint is shooting arrows and Natasha is firing her weapons with deadly accuracy with Tony flying high above their heads, distracting the enemy, and the giant green Hulk next to him while Steve throws his shield at yet another henchman – Thor watches them fight and realizes that while he has lost his center piece, he has gained five extra tokens in this insane game: Mere mortal beings, whose abilities exceed that of their own kind by a great deal.

They are mortal and deadly and they are weapons as much as guardians.

He feels that this game is not yet over and it's making him smile. As he throws Mjöllnir into the next enemy's face, he laughs and when the foul creature topples down, Thor knows he can win. Not only this particular fight but also the ones yet to come.


End file.
